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*Marlene's connection to Alastair would be hidden, due to a few symbols on the doll* *So too, her name is more or less hidden from any sight* *The best that they could do, perhaps, is see through the scrying glass that she is in the Middle East*

*As the day draws to a close, Marlene returns to the safe house, and the symbols begin to glow- and then the house is more or less off the map* *She watches the small dot that represents Elder Zaire move around in her home* *Marlene sighs, and pours herself a few shots to take* *Getting drunk seems like a nice solution*

*About ten shots in, Marlene is feeling very brave* *She removes her cellphone, and calls Leon* *Like any kind of pretentious asshole, he makes her wait on the line before picking up* Paris.

*Marlene's voice is slurred* You can do your own dirty work, Leon. I'm done with being your servant. I'm not doing this shit anymore. *A few moments later, the phone hangs up without any word from Leon*

*then they will trace her scent to where the house disappears* *Alastair will look around to see if it may be still there but invisible somehow, and Niccolò will look for traces of magic to see where it went if it has disappeared*

*Then perhaps the one in Riyadh would have a powerful mark on it- and the restaurant that she sat at as well would be especially potent* *They could follow it back down the street, and into the alleyway that she previously had her portal set up in* *The remnants of it are left against the wall, stained like charcoal*

*Marlene moves to the second floor of the house, and grabs her rifle* *Stations herself on the balcony overlooking the main sitting area, and she waits for them to move into the room, to speak* *Her eye is strained down the scope of the rifle* You two need to leave. Now.

*Alastair will look to Niccolò* You can go. *but he isn't leaving* *So Alastair will just try to talk to Adra, while they remain in their places by the door to the room* Adra, darling, please- I'm not going to hurt you. All I want is to help you. ...Where did you go? Why are you here? Let me know what I can do to help you.

*She doesn't move- she is keeping him in the crosshairs* *He needs to leave before Leon gets here* *She doesn't want Leon to hurt Alastair* Please, Alastair, leave. You're going to get yourself hurt otherwise. *Despite being absolutely tanked, her hands are steady on the weapon*

When have I ever cared about that? I just want you to be safe. Whoever is keeping you here- please, let us take care of each other. Tell me what's happening- I'm sure we can find a way to handle it. I adore you, and I miss you- all I want is to make you safe and happy. Let us help you.

*She takes a breath out, and moves the rifle by a fraction- and with an exhale, the pulls the trigger, shooting just behind Alastair* *The bullet from the gun might graze the hair on the side of his head* I'm fine. I'm here on alchemist business- politics. I don't need help.

If you had wanted to leave, my love, you would have let me know, and we would still have our connection. If you genuinely want to kill me, I will let you. But please, if you don't- please talk to me. Let me help you. Don't try to protect me by keeping me away, if that's what you're doing.

*Her heart is squeezing painfully in her chest- likely from all of the vodka shots she had* *But he has a point* *She decides to give in marginally to his requests* Alastair, I can't. Even though that would make all of this easier- Leon Paris will kill our family and some of my old friends if he discovers that you have been here.

Is he more powerful than anything else we've ever faced? Even if he is- I believe we and our friends can keep our children safe, and I'm sure your old friends too, if you tell us who they are. We can stop or reverse time itself if we need to. And I will not let you face this alone, so long as you don't really want me dead.

*Of course she doesn't want him dead* *Of course not* *But because she is unbalanced, she doesn't feel anything right now* I don't know if he is. But he's killed my people before, and I'll be damned if I let that happen again. *She cocks the gun again* Please. You need to leave. *She's desperate* Listen to me. Please.

Adra, I can't leave you. Give us the names of your friends, so Niccolò can protect them. And if you really want me to go- then tell me what I can do to actually help you that's better than being here. I want to listen to you, but I can't do that if you are going to place your safety before mine, or if you think you can't be helped.

*Her grip on the gun tightens, and wavers* Leon Paris was dictator of Gaia for many years. He ordered an ethnic cleansing initiative of my people. Those who survived- Priya, Eritan, others- are currently held captive by him. He's a special kind of dark alchemist- since we last met, he has studied balanced and unbalanced states, and he has the ability to manipulate that it will. Back in the day, he was known as the Puppeteer, because he knows how to marionette anyone with these voodoo dolls that he has. *Bites her lip* He knows how to steal energy and other alchemical life forces.

*She takes a deep breath* He has a doll for you. And Cara. And Alek. And Niccolo. And Trip. Easily, he can kill you all, and has threatened to do so, if I don't kill people for him.

*Marlene's lip wobbles* I didn't want to become like this again, I swear. I'm so sorry.

Oh, my darling, you have nothing to be sorry for. This isn't your fault. I should never have let him do this to you... *he glances to Niccolò* I know you can't steal his name, but could you, maybe, damage it? Keep it from being able to do magic?

*he thinks it over, and gives a small nod* I could try- Adra, with all you know, you might even be better at it. But I think I could.

*She bites the inside of her cheek* I could certainly try, but I don't know the extent of his power. Any one of us would be incredibly vulnerable whilst performing such an-

*Marlene takes a step back, her words caught in her throat* *Lowers the gun, and she opens her mouth to scream, though no sound comes out*

*Leon steps out from the hallway beside Marlene, and joins her on the balcony* *His stare is icy* So kind of the two of you to join us this evening, but I must say, a house warming party is hardly necessary. *He has one hand pointed towards Marlene, and a gentle blue haze is lifting off of her body and moving into him as he speaks* *He lifts his other hand, though, motioning for the two of them to keep still* No, I am not killing her, but I will before either of you can even think of teleporting or using magic. So I suggest you stay where you are. Because, you see, I think I'm going to need to clear a few things up with you pair.

*then Roshanne will appear between them, with a ghost at her side* *she will lift a gun to Leon's head, and fire* *she wasn't called by Niccolò and Alastair, and doesn't know the details of the situation* *but she has a general idea, and is making her best judgement call*

*In the moments that pass between Roshanne first appearing and firing, Leon would have sucked up the rest of the energy from Marlene, and twisted his wrist, and the light blue tendrils intercept the bullets* *On the floor, Marlene's body jerks from the impact**His mouth twists into distain* I expected more from you all. Well... I was going to perhaps explain myself- to try to come with a compromise, but I see that that isn't going to work.

I'll have you know that she is still going to work beneath me, because she owes me at least that much. But I suppose if you want any more information just ask her.

*He kicks his boot, and sends Marlene over the balcony ledge, and directly through glass table below*

*Alastair is beyond angry at Leon and Roshanne, but he has to make sure Adra is safe before anything else* *he will rush over to the balcony to take her from the ghost, and bring her back inside, setting her down* *brushes her hair from her face, looking her over carefully* Adra, my darling, are you alright?

Yes. Of course. *he glances back at Roshanne* I don't know why you came here, but just call next time. I'll let you know when we have this sorted out. *then Niccolò will step forward and bring them home*

*Runs a hand through her hair* I don't know what that is, Alastair. As far as I know, Leon wants me to kill people for him- people that threaten his rise back to power. I don't know of any way that could help you feel better.

*his voice is soft, still* *he just loves her* Alright. Then we can try to figure something out. Do you, or does anyone else know how he makes his dolls? If we could try to find a way to sever connections with them, it would remove the immediate threat.

From what I can tell, the dolls aren't just symbols of the person to which they impersonate. Because we're talking about Leon Paris here, I wouldn't be surprised if each doll had a little piece of their person's energy inside of them. But this is a newer development in Paris' abilities. Last time I saw him was when I escaped-

-Salvatore laughing after Adra as she escapes down the hallway, away from him. His thumbs are hooked in the loops of his trousers, and he walks at a leisurely pace behind her. Her blood has coated the end of the tire iron that he is gripping.-

-from him in 1899. Back then, he only had a few abilities, though they were infamous for their power. One of them is *she touches a symbol on the wall*

Alastair, I don't know. I've never encountered this kind of alchemy before, so I wouldn't even be able to explain how Leon does it. I'm as completely in the dark as you are. *Takes her glass again, and drinks some more* *Drinking helps*

Yes... *closes his eyes, trying to think* So we don't know whether moving the mind from the body would work. We might be able to stop him from using magic, but we would need him to be very distracted for a few minutes.

*Meanwhile, in another world entirely**Kindred Wander sits in the kitchen. The pristine surfaces shine, the sunlight that spears through perfectly transparent windows bouncing off them and down her optic nerves. A light breeze blows crisp air through the modest room**Kindred's grey eyes gaze out of the window into the garden. As she peruses her hosts' topiary, her thoughts drift to the boy she left three worlds back. She doesn't miss him, so much as regret that he isn't with her. She can't help but worry about whether he's safe. Her gaze drifts down to her nails; she scoops the dirt that was trapped there. The grime falls to the shimmering floor below and Kindred can't help but feel a little bad about desecrating something so lovingly tended to as these tiles.**A man walks into the room and beams a glorious smile at kindred. He looks like Trip, if you squint. He's about an inch taller, perhaps three or four times more muscular too. Across his head was a lattice of scars, forged into some runic language Kindred couldn't read. He gracefully planted a mug of blissfully familiar tea before her, before taking a seamless sip of his own.*

ParaTrip: I'm sure Adra will be along in just a monent, she just had to attend to something. I haven't seen you in over a year, you had that guy with you, *he clicks his fingers, snaps blasting across the table* you know, uh-

*Adra speaks* All of this is to say that, of course, he doesn't try to kill us in the process. *She has a knife in her hand- one from her pocket- and she twirls it around in her hand* And that he doesn't know how to control us with his puppets. ..I think we should arrange a meeting with him.

-*ParaAdra enters the room, then, walking to her husband, and kissing his head briefly* Kindred, how are you, my dear? I apologize for not being able to greet you before- I was finishing up some paperwork.

*Kindred smiles, the uncanny valley making the scene before her a little unsettling. Nevertheless, she is glad of a change of subject*Kindred: Don't worry about it, it's good to see you as well. I'm doig pretty well, actually. I've seen a lot of stunning things on my travels, really grew as a person. I've learned a lot. Yourself? *she drinks again, now painfully aware of how much her dirty hands are staining the tablecloth*

*ParaAdra doesn't mind so much for the tablecloth- it can be washed* Well. Cara is entering preschool soon, and she's grown a lot. And, of course, we have another little one on the way soon. *Smiles; she isn't showing at all, but she knows* What brings you here, my dear?

Kindred: Oh, you know. All things must come to an end I suppose. You can only see so many fantastical things before the only thing that seems special is something actually familiar. *she laughs, almost bitterly. ParaTrip lets out a small chuckle in agreement. Kindred can feel his contentment, his sheer joy at his domestic situation waft over the table. She can recall the last time she felt that way*

Kindred: I suppose I didn't explain it all that well last time, did I? I went on a sort of journey of self discovery across the dimensions. I nicked one of Trip's artifacts and went out to see the multiverse. It's finished now, thiugh. I'm going home.

*Kindred feels the waves of warmth from ParaTrip become entangled in mild concern, not something she was hoping to illicit*

ParaTrip: So if you are returning home, presumably without Shrug, for whatever reason, how will he return?

*ParaTrip's sense of genuine concern for this boy overwhelms Kindred a little*Kindred: He's making his own way back. I'm sure.

Ask him why he is having me kill people for him -he's more than proven that he is himself capable- and perhaps come to a compromise. *Her hands clench* He stole my alchemy, and I would very much like to have it returned to me.

Kindred: It's nothing sinister. We just split up. We grew as people and just so happened to grow apart. He insisted I take the stone and vanished one day in the night. That was a long time ago. I saw him on a couple of worlds after that. He seemed to be making his way all right, we didn't talk all that much. *she looks down at ger tea*

Trip, my Trip, once told me that an emotional alchemist must be honest with themselves. If you lie to yourself about your feelings, only damage can ensue. I knew how I felt. I couldn't lie to myself about it.

*Now all she feels from ParaTrip is sadness, the kind of guilty sadness only felt by those doing well while others tell them that they are doing poorly*

*pauses again, thinking* Do you think- even if we can't get rid of his magic, is there any reason why we shouldn't be able to bind it? If we could keep him without magic, even temporarily, we could work out something more permanent.

It isn't that I don't think talking to him would work- I'm just afraid that he'll still want to hurt you, and I don't want to risk any more harm coming to you.

*Adra nods* I know... I don't see why binding his magic wouldn't work. Perhaps we could trap him in such a way- for example, he might walk into the room and we activate a symbol on the floor that traps him- similar to how I captured you in the library all those years ago.

-*ParAdra shakes her head* Allow me. *She will get a rag, and clean up the spill* Would it help if we came back with you?

*Kindred whips around, suddenly feeling so very uncomfortable and out of place. The perfectly aligned paintings on the walls seem to stare at her handiwork on the table as something other. It all seems wrong, too perfect*

Kindred: I- I have to get going. Sorry about the table. *she rushes into the hallway, grabbing her bags. She knocks the leg out from a side table by accident, sending its occupants tumbling to the ground.* So sorry! *she has to get out, it's all wrong, too easy*

*ParaTrip follows behind her, picking his way through the nucknacks and heirlooms on the floor*ParaTrip: Leaving already? I thought that you planned to stay the night?

*Kindred gets out of the door and begins to sprint away from the perfection behind her. She's young and spry, running faster than Adra could hope to catch. ParaTrip gently lays a hand on her shoulder, knowing she'd try anyway if he didn't*

ParaTrip: YOUR FATHER'S RIGHT,KINDRED. YOU MUSN'T DENY YOUR OWN FEELINGS! *after he's done bellowing his advice at the fleeing girl he turns back to ParAdra, solemn* You can only do so much, my love. Some wounds have to heal on their own. She knows where we are, if she needs us.

*he nods* Of course. Niccolò can look after them- perhaps we can send them to the Sanctuary, to another bound area, so that if he does try to come for them he will have to do it without magic, and get past all the guards first.

*Kindred is soon deep in the woods. She always ensures to be as out if sight as she can be when shunting. That was troublesome in the dimension where everyone lived in glass houses. The whole city was nigh seethrough. She shakes her head at the memory and pushes deeper into the copse. She must shunt in the exact right location, otherwise she will most likely dit*

*There was always something wrong about this world. Everything tyrned out so well for everybody. Every loser seemed to get a consolation prize and a new lease on life, nobody ever seemed to be unlucky. It wasn't right. It wasn't the way things were*

*Shrug had been with her in tge glass city. Things were already vecoming strained by then. They had gotten together as teenagers, it was only healthy that they'd ended up wanting different things. She was at peace with it, she just hoped ge was safe*

*She reached the shunt point. For a brief moment Kindred considered going out to look for Shrug. He must be out there somewhere. Withdrawing the stone from her bag she was reminded that it had just one charge left. She could recharge it, of course. She'd done it before. She could go out looking for him, bring him hime safe, moving from world to world, recharging when she could.*

*The risk was too great. She could look forever and never find him. She'd travelled too far to get lost just before arriving. Soon Kindred Wander had vanished from the dimension she had been in and entered another. She had done this a hundred times before. The difference was that this time, the other dimensiin was home*

*Shakes her head* *Decides on another glass- her hand is shaking now from the alcohol, but it is literally the only thing keeping her numb at the moment* I would have suggested Trip, but it's been ages since I've seen him. I don't think he would want to miss out on this either.

Yes... even if she may not always have the best judgement, she has been helpful, and definitely proved herself trustworthy. I'll send Roshanne and Spark with them, and whoever else they want to bring. *he will pull out his phone, and start sending texts*

Good. I'm going to take a shower. *Goes to their bathroom, and turns on their shower, then waits a few minutes for the water to heat up. She undressed herself, setting her clothes on the counter* *This feeling of dread begins to wash over her, and she begins to feel like her head will explode* *It's so painful and, before her body can even think of falling to the ground, the feeling is gone*

*Her fingers tighten into a fist* *Regardless of how many plans that happen, Leon still has the power to hurt her- and will punish her*

*A few moments later, she steps into the shower, letting her hair fall down*

*he watches as she walks away, and his eyes linger on where she was once she is gone* *the situation makes him terribly anxious, but he has missed her so much, and he is unspeakably glad to have her back, even if she doesn't seem to want to talk to him, still* *closes his eyes, taking slow breaths* *Adra has the right to do whatever she wants- he just needs to make sure she is safe*

*The shower is brief- about ten minutes at the most, and Adra steps out in her towel, examining herself in the mirror* *And then her head spins again, and blood begins to leak from her mouth*

*Immediately Adra moves to the sink, doing her best to be quiet* *Turns on the water, her head spinning quickly for explanations; there isn't anything Leon could have done to the doll to make her-*

*Drip drip drip*

-Adra is suspended from the ceiling, the ropes swinging just barely. There is another crack of a whip, and the skin of her back splits in half, blood seeping from her body, and dripping to the floor just below her. Her toes are just above the ground- so close, but so far. She can hear Salvatore's intake of breath as he sees her bloody back, and the low hiss of excitement that he makes as once again, he flicks his wrist, sending-

*Wipes her mouth clean* *She should really get her magic back as soon as possible**Adra walks back into her bedroom and drifts to the closet, consumed by her thoughts* *She might need more alcohol*

*A deep conflict is in her eyes* I don't want to involve you any more than I have. I don't want you to see me hurting, because I know that that, in turn, will hurt you. But... If I don't, you'll be hurt that I am not speaking to you.

Adra... I married you because I want to be involved with you, always, no matter what it does to me. There is nothing else I care about- nothing else for me to live for. I'm sorry that I ever let you doubt that. All I want is to be as close to you as I can, and to help you as much as I can. I will do anything you want me to- if you want me to leave you alone, or if you would like me dead, or whatever else. But please do not ask me to be distant from you for my sake. It is... *he stops* If you are hurting, then I would rather hurt with you. You shouldn't ever have to be alone.

"Pleaae, don't do it." Adra struggled in her restraints, trying desperately to look after the other girl being hauled from the room. "She's only a child, you monster!" Moments later, she could hear screams from down the hallway, and the same laughter.

Then, please, let me help you... I can still heal. I know I can't solve this for you, but I can at least hold back the symptoms for you. *he will carefully brush a bit of hair out of her face, and start to heal whatever he can* How else can I help you?

*Shakes her head barely* I keep seeing things. Memories. From when I was with him. The slightest of words causes them to resurface in my mind, and I keep reliving those moments, over and over and over. And no matter how much I drink, it just won't. be. quiet. *With every word, her hand hits the temple of her head, as if she is trying to knock the sanity and sense back into herself*

*She knows that this isn't herself- she knows that she's losing it, but she can't do anything but suffocate- especially now that, since her magic is gone, there is no unbalanced state of numbness for her to retreat in. The flood of pain just is hitting her, wave after wave, knocking her down again an again and again and again and again and she can't do anything about it*

Oh, my darling... *kisses her head again* If we could get our link back, perhaps I could try to help you control them. But I don't know who blocked it, or if we can fix it right now. But if we can't- *he will look for the philosopher's stone she wears around her neck, to see if it is still there*

*The stone is there- as is the stone in her wedding ring, but without any energy to connect to, it's more or less dead* *Even most mortals have an ounce of magical energy, but Leon took everything*

*Hisses beneath her breath, and pulls out her phone* *Types in a number, and waits, setting the phone on the ground between them* *Again, like an asshole, Leon makes her wait before picking up* Leon... I need to speak with you. It's urgent.

*His voice is soft on the other side* My darling Marlene, I'm afraid there is no negotiating on this. I'm being generous as it is by giving you the night off with your family.

Leon, listen to me. I'm going to die if I don't have at least some of my magic back. Even if it is just a little, it's all I need. I can't be of much use to you if I'm dead, can I?

*Was just very confused* I've been reading the history of Aladra, and have read several months of role play today- and I was just incredibly confused when I saw your name pop up, because I thought that this page was TLC, and not Derek's blog*

Anyway-

I'm sorry you aren't feeling 100% today, and I want to remind you that you are an incredible, incredible human being. You're so kind, and generous, and really a straight-up badass when you stand up to mean people. I admire you so much, and if you're inconvenient, then the world must be a goddamn mess.

*he has already sent their family away* *he will wait for her to hang up before he speaks again* The chain that I made for your stone- the metal is sentient. It remembers emotions. I've imprinted love and happiness onto it- so if you ask, it will give some of that back to you. I don't know if it will help, but I hope it is better than nothing.Are we going to really talk to him, then, or will we trap him?

*Adra's fingers brush the metal, which is comforting to touch* Oh... Alright. *She will ask it to just continually keep sending what it has to her*

I want to actually speak to him. *Takes a deep breath, bracing herself, then stands, with some exertion* There's a few old warehouses near the Seattle docks. Warehouse 9 is where we need to meet him. But I need some, if not all of my alchemy back. Our lab is unprotected, as is. And I need to get you back. *She means the connection*

*Looks around, then picks up a modest sized knife, putting it in her belt* What is the fastest way to get there? I don't think any of my portals work anymore, since I'm not hooked up

*then it will just gently send love, affection and happiness to her- it is mostly from Alastair, but some of it also comes from the alien metal itself*

*he is so relieved, and so glad that she seems to want their link back* Yes- we need all of your alchemy back. And if you still want our link, then we need that too. Niccolò can either try and reactivate your portals, or teleport us- otherwise we'd have to get there the mortal way, I think. And, if you'd like more knives than that, I have plenty. Also- it is up to you, but if you would like to be less... drunk, I can help you with that also.

But, Adra- I know this is supposed to be an exchange, and he'll probably ask for more from you in return. I don't want you to be hurt or have to kill anymore- and I don't want to lose you again. I'm sure he'll ask for things like that. I don't know what to do if he does- but maybe just keep it in mind, if you can, I suppose. I'll be thinking about it.

...Anything you can do to help me be a little less drunk, would be nice.

I'm fine with these two knives. I don't expect that Leon will try to attack us. *Swallows hard* I think I have a way to get around killing people. A facade of sorts, where they aren't dead. It was something I attempted with Elias Turner, and he hasn't died. The other victim, an Elder, was supposed to be sent to Hell, but I sent that Elder to a Purgatory-esque place.

*A shiver trickles down her spine* *Stands, and goes to find Niccolo* *Once she finds him, she will touch his shoulder* We need to go to the docks in Seattle, please. *Will hold her husband's hand, for support*

*Adra shuts her eyes barely* It would be better if you waited here, or back home. As of right now, you are our best card that we can deal.... I'm sorry, but if things get hairy, I don't want him to try to take your magic, or handicap your abilities in any way.

*Will wait a second, then nod to Alastair* We should go. Give it half an hour, Niccolo. *Gives him a look, then hauls Alastair to the warehouse*

*The building itself is decrepit and old- it likely hasn't been used in around twenty years. There are holes occasionally in the ceiling from which water drips* *In the center of the structure is a metal table and metal chairs. Two on one side, one on the other* *Adra glances at Alastair, then takes a seat*

No, that's where you're wrong. She isn't going to die. If there have been any complications with her internal anatomy, it's because her body is struggling to work on it's own, without the magic to sustain it's life. She'll live, it'll just be excruciatingly painful for her. But, then again, that is the point, isn't it?

You misunderstand. This isn't caused by her body struggling to cope without magic. It's caused by a pre-existing, very physical condition she has had for some time, that her magic allowed her to survive with. So it isn't "just painful," as you seem to think. It is killing her.

*Anger briefly flashes behind his eyes, but then fades* *Settles back in his chair* Alastair, I haven't misunderstood the situation at all. Unlike the two of you, who have only personal experiences from which you base off your knowledge of Hell, I have seen what happens on a larger scale. With the experiments my government has conducted, hundreds of people have been sent to the grave and back at my bidding. I make the works of Sigmund Rascher and Josef Mengele look like child's play.

So when I say to you that her body is not dying, simply adjusting, my word is the law.

Certainly you must know- especially having that particular man who used to lodge in your head who had a proclivity for power. It's about who has the upper hand. You see, because our dear Marlene does not have her alchemy, all of those little symbols from you home are much easier to bypass. With her vulnerable, to, she is much, much easier to influence. *Reaches into his coat, then, and is holding something inside hispocket* *He then turns to adra* Marlene, if you would please demonstrate.

*Adra makes a small sound in the back of her throat, and slides her hand down to her hip, drawing her small blade from her belt* *She looks at it for a second, shocked, and then turns to Alastair* *She's trying hard to resist* *But her arm lifts, knife in hand*

*Darts forward, colliding with Alastair and likely knocking him and his chair to the ground* *Presses the knife to his throat, pushing hard enough to begin to cut into his skin* *Adra knows that he isn't bothered by this though, and her other hand has a fistful of his hair, keeping his head down against the floor* *Hurt ghosts in her eyes* I'm sorry, I can't help it.

*Leon stands from his chair* Well then. Marlene, you are going to hold him here until I leave. And if you or him move, you're going to stab that knife into your thigh. *He straightens his coat* I'll see to it that your connection is restored. *Tips his hat* Good day. *He turns, and there is a flash of bright light, and he is gone*

Quite dizzy, actually.. *Scoots back on him a little bit, so she is only sitting over the tops of his legs- she doesn't imagine that the floor is comfortable* *Her eyes avert themselves from the wound guiltily*

*the cut will already be starting to heal- and he will sit up, then* Darling, I'm fine. It wasn't your fault- I know you didn't want to. And I've asked you for worse than this before. You have nothing to feel guilty for. *kisses her head* I'm sorry I didn't get your alchemy back...

Oh- I suppose you're right... Don't worry about the alchemy, we can find another way. We always have.

*Alastair might begin to feel his wife's consciousness seeping into his periphery, like a dark cloud enclosing over a clear sky*

Besides, I noticed something. When his hand was on my Voudou figurine, I could feel his thoughts. He asked me to attack you, and I heard him speaking in my mind. I think what touching the doll did was make what he was thinking have an influence over me.

First time i've been put off commenting because someone was RPing. Think it's just because there are so few people on the blog that I feel awkward just, typing something. This must be how new people felt. :S

*The Dead End Bar was doing very well in 2014. Nowadays it mostly catered to cultists and lowlifes as they became more and more desperate for business. Back in 2014 it was a hotspot for for the Ukranian magical literati. Here rogues and poets would meet and mingle with detectives and adventurers, seeking muses and lovers to feed their works. Their fabulous robes were pigmented with shiftweave, morphing and growing to imitate the styles around them, a perhaps blunt comment by the bar's patrons on the incestuous nature of fashion. Of course, these robes would go out of fashion as well. So did the bar. The great and the good grew bored, making way for a rogues gallery of a different kind**Trip Castalan took none of this in. He was behind the bar, mixing a drink. Well. He was mixing six or seven drinks whilst cleaning two shot glasses with his spare hand. He was in constant motion, moving cash, drinks, glasses and his body, completely removed from his surroundings. He must have been aware of its stimuli as he definately responded to them, but they didn't seem to affect him in any way**2014 was a better time for Trip, but this one was not the Trip of 2014, he was a much older man.*

*Amongst all of the sensory input, Trip was focussed on his watch. Four seconds. He tapped two glasses against the counter. One contained something or other, the other some pink stuff. Trip had already forgotten. Three seconds. This was a spare moment. Trip took a second to breathe. One often forgets to breathe when meddling with time and it can cause realy bother. Two seconds. Trip stacks the glasses. The patrons reach for their drinks. One second. Trip spritzes the man beside him. Gerald or something.*

*Graham flails in response. He clips a patron, sending them tumbling into the glasses. Trip imitates a laugh, to suggest that he's just having a joke with Garry. Afterwards he turns to the glass and starts tidying up. Gareth begins tending to the customers, the glass rendering their shiftweave a bit scratchy and very revealing. He looks up to plan his route to leave. In precisely twelve minutes and thirty two seconds the glass he has collected must be in the bin of the street outside.*Woman with hair: I saw that.*Trip begins to walk along behind the counter, to where it bled into the surrounding crowd.*Familiar, slurred voice: Oi mate, I saw that.[Hey asshole, she's talking to you.]*The woman with hair is now blocking Trip's path into the crowd. She must be removed in order to ensure swift resolution of the plan.*Excuse me, I must put this in the bin.[Oh nice one. Shut up]Woman with hair: You made that happen on purpose.

*The woman jokingly drapes herself across Trip's path, unaware of the danger she is putting Trip's mission in*Woman with hair: I must know your motive![Drunk, clearly, her speech is extremely slurred. And who are you to judge? You're the one who wants to drink, I haven't a clue. WE'RE THE SAME PERSON]Woman with hair: Not that this mysterious silent act isn't sexy, but it isnn't really helping yer case.[Change tack it's your only shot]I thought it would be funny. Can I go now?*Trip looks at her with genuine earnestness. This discourse has cost him 20 seconds*

Woman: Oh a comedian, eh? *she lays a hand on Trip's chest. He looks down at it, a look if vague disgust bursting across his face*[What. She likes you, moron, remember when people did that? No. Well use it anyway, I believe in you.]*Trip thinks back. He hasn't had to think on his feet for some weeks now.*[Yes, that'll do.]

I'm sorry, my heart belongs to another.

Woman with hair: Oh, who is she? I'll have her locked away.

Nono, I mean literally. I sold it to Queen Marsden in the year 2099.

*she rocks back, laughing. Trip slips past, into he crowd. A small grin is on his face*

___

*a manager stands beside the girl, watching his staff deal with the incedent*

Manager: You shouldn't be here. I can see it. *he indicates to his eyes, stained with a switling turquoise pattern*

Manager: And the starving man is hungry, yet the law cares not when he steals. You must leave. *he indicates to a purple haired man hurriedly making his way past.* Hey Karl, take this girl out of the club, would you?

*Karl looks up at the manager. He strikes the girl as a rather sullen kind of guy. His face sits in an entirely neutral stance. His eyes are perhaps his only notabke feature besides the hair. They seem to be bottomless purple pits of roiling purple and unfathomable depth. They seem sad, heavy with regret, as if caught somewhere between the fear and joy of memory*

Certainly, sir. I would also like to resign immediately, I intend to become a dedicated follower of fashion.

Come on. *he turns about to leave, the manager slightly shocked to hear his quiet if hardworking staffer make such a bold claim. He isn't sure if he's joking. After all, payday's tomorrow. Trip begins making his way through the crowd*

*She sees the woman bothering Trip* *Wants to help him leave, and wil log up to the woman* Excuse me, can i bother you for a moment? I am having troubles with my dress and need someone to help tie the top.

To a bin. *he finishes leading her outside and then stands by a nondescript waste bin, watching his watch.*

So apparently you know me? Whoever you think I am, I'm not him.[Good job with that believable lie mate. Who even cares It's not like she's dangerous. You're shit at threat assessment, in fact, you're shit at living.]*Trip searches through his mind to find anything that might justify his previous statement*I'm a doppelganger if we ever meet he will die.

*Trip looks at her for a few moments. The light of the moon highlights his five o'clock shadow and roughed up face. He looks like a man who has been out at sea for a little too long, so he has ceased to appear adventurous and exotic and is now simply weary. He drops the glass shards into the bin and tosses the dustpan he was holding them with away.*

Nope. I'm a doppleganger and you didn't help me. I don't need any help. Things are going exactly to plan. What are you doing at this time of night? Do you need me to drive you somewhere?

*he will return that kiss, too, and then closes his eyes, breathing out slowly* *first, he wants her to know that he loves and admires her so deeply, and that she makes him so happy- he will send that to her, so she can feel it* When you first disappeared, I assumed you had been taken. I went to look for you, but when I found you, you ran away. And then- I didn't really think you wanted to kill me, but I did wonder, for a second. It seemed like you wanted so badly to keep your feelings and your situation from me, even once we were back home. My darling Adra, I know you have been through so much- not only recently, but throughout your whole life- and it was wrong of me to assume you would know that I would always rather be close to you and help you, no matter what it does to me. But then, it felt like you either didn't trust me, or didn't want me to be close to you anymore. And now... I just want to do whatever I can to make you really feel that all I ever want is to be as involved in your life as I can be, as long as you'll have me, even if that means I might get hurt.

*Her eyes do water* I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I just.I didn't want to involve you because you give me everything- life, reason to live, stability, love.. And- if I am in the line of fire, if something happens to me, I can't leave the kids, A- a- and I don't want to hurt you.

I know it's wrong of me to assume anything, but I've lost so many people, Alastair. My parents.. my friends... lovers.. children.. *She begins to just cry* Anyone who gets close to me eventually gets killed. And Leon is fucking terrifying, to me. He murdered my people, and he feels nothing at all. If there is anyone who could single handedly ruin everything we have, I undoubtedly know that it is him. So I'm sorry- I trust you with my life and soul, but the person I don't trust is myself. I'm afraid that I'm not strong enough to beat Leon and, if that is true, I don't want you to come down with me.

*Her hand gently cups his chin, then strokes his cheek* I'm sorry for not telling you, but I am so scared right now. I just can't lose you too.

*he will catch her hand, and kiss it* I'm sorry he frightens you so much. I will do my best to make sure that you don't lose me, and I will do everything I can to help you take him down. I just couldn't stand to lose you, either- to Leon, or to fear. *kisses her forehead* Thank you for telling me all of this. I am so sorry you've had so much loss in your life, and I will try to make sure you don't have to endure more of it.

*Trip looks down at the girl's hand, his cold eyes relenting, becoming sad*A lot of things, Noelle. *a moment passes and his eyes harden again. He shakes her off*I'm fine though. Things happen. All you can do is make the best of them. That's what I'm doing.

not to me. i am demon spawn. i've always had a natural attraction to negative forces and ideas. it is permanent to me and will always be. the feelings that consumed me are me. the good in me has almost finally given up. took its sweet ass time. it's still a few years too soon before i become a monster but it'll eventually happen. and when it happens i'll be truly alone, instead of having the illusion of companionship. like i've always wanted it.

hehe thank you...fuck it seems my good side is still fighting haha. i've always felt about the same amount of attraction to light as dark. i am like a malleable being, reflecting back on existence itself. whether i am good or bad isn't the question. it's which one i feel like. i rarely step in either direction but when i do, it's a firm one. my girlfriend hurt me so much. but i don't want to take it out on her. so i guess i came here. all that anger and negativity that naturally built up within my intense self got redirected.

haha i deny myself a lot of things to be honest. because i wanna be like that. i wanna toughen up even more and tank through all my ambitions. it probably doesn't help that my feelings were always ignored by everyone but oh well i'll tank through that too

*Adra will be sitting by herself, then, picking idly at her fingers* *She is nervous, a bit, but doesn't care much for things* *Watches her kids run past her, and briefly wonders if she will see them grow up*

*That's alright- she would rather them grow up without her than not at all* *Alrhough it was not her own preferred way, she managed- but, all hopes considered, Cara and Alek will not have to do so**It's going to be bad enough when Alek grows up- as an empath, he is susceptible to experiencing others' emotions, and given his parents' dispositions, Adra prays that he won't get into any fights*

>:/I'm waiting impatiently..On Sunday, my professor promised to post our final grades- this morning, around 3AM, he sent an email saying that he finally did it, but when I checked the Banner, there wasn't anything posted!

I'm quite nervous, actually.. I really want a 4.0, and I already received an A- in Biology (which sucks, but is certainly better than my anticipated B). But this final class that I am waiting on is Statistics. I never had any trouble with the context- it's just that back in March, with my flare-up following Madie's death, dog's death, and the whole laundry list of rather sad and depressing things that happened, I often would become really out of it during class. Not to mention that, since March, I've gained 10 pounds in weight...

Anyway, I digress

I was really distracted all the time and couldn't thing. Looking back on it, I was definitely disassociating, and I felt like I couldn't breathe... a lot. I was just suffocating all the time and I hated it.

So I don't know how that month will affect my final grade. Last time that I checked, I had an A in Statistics- however, I don't know if potentially not getting an A in this final would affect my final grade.

It's so nerve wracking. One A- on my record I can do, but I would really rather not have two- or anything worse than that.